Partnership Programs:
Basic Information

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

EPA's Offices and Regions conduct a variety of programs with voluntary partners to improve their environmental performance. Collectively, these programs are called Partners for the Environment.
Our 10 Regions assist in implementing the programs and in many cases have their own Regional programs that address local environmental concerns. Learn more about where you live.

Many of today's environmental challenges cannot be addressed by regulation alone. They require a broader mix of solutions - regulatory programs, information, education, technical assistance, and grants, as well as voluntary partnership programs. EPA is currently developing additional and more current measures of the environmental results of these programs, and until these results are compiled, we must rely on data collected in the year 2000. While these figures are a bit dated, they still show some impressive results.The following table presents the net effect of the partners' combination of innovative ideas with a commitment to improve performance.

³ Please note that WasteWise was unable to report results for the year.

By 2000, more than 11,000 partners were participating in one or more EPA programs. To quantify the results of these
voluntary efforts, EPA surveyed its partnership programs to gather information about cost savings and environmental
benefits. While many of these programs do not require reporting, the results from the limited data available were
impressive: thousands of commitments to environmental improvements and billions of dollars saved.

EPA's partners saved more than 769 trillion British Thermal Units (BTUs) of energy in 2000. The amount of emissions
they avoided was more than 37 million metric tons of carbon equivalent. Partners achieved this by reducing methane
emissions from farms, landfills, and coalbeds, and by saving energy through technological improvements and
power-conserving appliances. Partnerships help save millions of gallons of water, communities clean up streams, and
hospitals eliminate mercury waste.

The results add up:

On an annual basis, the benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 37 million metric tons of carbon equivalent
are comparable to removing more than 25 million cars from the road in one year.

The 603 million gallons water saved is enough to fill over 12 million bathtubs.

The 769 trillion BTUS of energy saved is enough to supply the annual energy needs of approximately 6.5 million U.S.
households.